A U.S. Marine corporal from Carson was laid to rest Saturday at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, two weeks after he was killed in a parachute training accident in Arizona.

Alejandro “Alex” Romero<br />From GoFundMe

Alejandro “Alex” Romero, 22, who has been described as a “man of God and USMC,” was buried with military honors and a fly-over following Mass at Holy Family Church in Wilmington.

The Patriot Guard Riders, motorcycle enthusiasts who regularly escort fallen members of the military during their funeral services, led a procession from the church to the cemetery.

Romero died Jan. 22 during a double-bag static line parachute exercise at a multimission parachute course in Coolidge, about 50 miles south of Phoenix. Witnesses said they saw someone fall from the sky, tangled in a parachute.

Witnesses performed cardiopulmary resuscitation on Romero, but he died at a hospital.

The Marine Corps opened an investigation and suspended all double-bag static line parachuting operations.

Marines fold the American flag that adorned the casket of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero, 22, during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. The service was attended by family, friends and many US Marines. Romero, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

The wife of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero, 22, accepts the American Flag during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. The service was attended by family, friends and many US Marines. The recently married Romero, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

One by one US Marines stepped up to place pins in the cachet to honor Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. Romero, 22, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

The wife and mother of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero, console each other during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. The service was attended by family, friends and many US Marines. The recently married Romero, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

A military flyover in honor of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero, 22, during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. The service was attended by family, friends and many US Marines. Romero, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

Family member kneel at the casket of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero, 22, during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. The service was attended by family, friends and many US Marines. The recently married Romero, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

One by one US Marines stepped up to place pins in the cachet to honor Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. Romero, 22, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

Doves are released in honor of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. Romero, 22, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

A large contingent of US Marines do push ups around the casket of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. Romero, 22, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

The wife of Cpl. Alejandro “Alex” Romero, 22, kneels at his casket during his funeral service at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro. The service was attended by family, friends and many US Marines. The recently married Romero, passed away Jan. 22 in a parachute training accident in Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. San PEdro, February 3, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Daily Breeze/SCNG

Romero, a Carson High School graduate, served as a reconnaissance scout with Bravo Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa, Japan. His personal awards included the National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

An online fundraiser collected more than $20,000 so his family could bury Romero close to home. He married just weeks before his death.

Larry Altman has covered crime and court proceedings in Southern California since 1987. A graduate of Cal State Northridge, where he served as editor of the college newspaper, Altman has worked for the Daily Breeze since 1990. The Society of Professional Journalists named him a "Distinguished Journalist" in Los Angeles in 2006. Altman's work was featured twice on CBS' “48 Hours” and he appeared eight times with “Nancy Grace," who called him "dear." He has covered hundreds of homicides and many trials. Altman has crawled through a mausoleum to open a coffin, confronted husbands who killed their wives, wives who killed their husbands, and his coverage helped put a child molester and a murderer in prison. In his spare time, Altman is an avid Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers fan, is the commissioner of a Fantasy Baseball league with several other current and former newspapermen, runs a real estate empire and likes to watch old movies on TCM.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.